Encino’s 14-under baseball all-star team is one victory away after splitting the first two games with San Clemente in the best-of-three championship series in the Souther California state tournament at Arlington Heights Sports Park in Riverside.

But Encino (11-1) will need to receive a strong effort from Anthony Mayorga or any other available pitchers in the deciding game at 7 p.m. Sunday after Mitchell Kerner, Zach Lewis and Tristan Matters threw a combined 12 innings Saturday.

San Clemente (11-2) also had to go deep in its pitching staff, meaning whichever team survives the deciding game, it will be at a distinct disadvantage entering Tuesday’s opening game of the Junior Baseball Western Regionals in Laguna Niguel.

Encino, which rallied from a five-run deficit Wednesday to defeat Golden Hill 7-5 in the North sub-divisional in Tehachapi, nearly pulled off a similar comeback in the second game Saturday.

After winning the opening game 9-3, Encino fell behind 6-1 after committing four errors in the fourth inning of the second game. But Encino rallied with three runs in the sixth and another run in the seventh to pull within 6-5, before stranding the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first in its final at-bat.

Encino’s 14-under and 12-under all-stars combined to win 22 of their first 23 games this summer to advance to their respective championship series. But after Encino’s split at the 14-under level and a 12-1 loss to Ocean View in the 12-under division, both teams will play in elimination games Sunday.

No Encino Little League baseball team has reached the Western Regionals at any level.

For the third time in an eight-day stretch, the Notre Dame girls’ volleyball team defeated Valencia, completing the hat trick Saturday with a 25-18 victory in the final of the third annual Saugus summer tournament.

Notre Dame, which defeated Valencia at the inaugural Pierce College high school tournament July 23 and again Tuesday at the Chaminade summer league, relied on clutch efforts from Emily Moss, Elizabeth Inch and Callan Kinnan to get past Granada Hills in the quarterfinals and host Saugus in the semifinals, before defeating Valencia.

Led by Serena LeDuff, Sydney Striff and Carly Carapella, Valencia outlasted Oxnard in the quarterfinals and La Canada in three tough games in the semifinals.

West Hills’ 12-under baseball all-stars continued their impressive summer run with a 10-0 victory Friday over Orem, Utah, in the opening round of the PONY Bronco West Zone tournament in Whittier.

West Hills (13-1) will face Temecula at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the winner’s-bracket semifinals.

In the Mustang West Zone tournament in Los Alamitos, Hart’s 10-under all-stars defeated Orem, Utah 10-0 to advance to the winner’s-bracket final.

Hart (17-2) will face Aiea, Hawaii, at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, with a loss forcing it to play again at 6 p.m. Saturday. A victory would place Hart in the final at 1 p.m. Sunday.

In the Mustang 9-under West Zone tournament in Walnut, Mid-Valley Thoroughbred (14-4) defeated Corona 10-5 to reach the winner’s-bracket semifinals and will face Morgan Hill or Corona at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Camarillo (10-1) knocked off Torrance American 18-10 to reach the winner’s-bracket semifinals and will play Torrance American or Walnut at 6 p.m. Saturday.

In the PONY Shetland Southern California World Series in West Covina, North Valley (16-4) defeated West Covina Red 9-4 to reach the winner’s-bracket semifinals and will play at 3 p.m. Saturday against Simi Valley (13-1) or Orangecrest, which will complete their suspended game at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Chatsworth, competing as Valley North, defeated West Valley League rival El Camino Real, playing as Woodland Hills West, by a 5-2 margin in the Valley Invitational Baseball League final Friday night at Birmingham High.

Raul Camas pitched 5 1/3 innings in his first high school start, allowing five hits and two runs, along with five strikeouts and two walks to help Chatsworth win its first VIBL title since 2008. He also gave Chatsworth a 1-0 lead in the first when he doubled and scored on an RBI single by Kiefer Kofman.

Ernesto Prado doubled and scored, Chris Devito had a bases-loaded walk and Scott Voets was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded during a four-run third for Chatsworth, during which El Camino Real starter Justin Russell was victimized by two walks, two hit batters and two errors.

Russell hit four batters and walked three in 4 1/3 innings. He and Chris Scalisi both had two hits for El Camino Real, which last won a VIBL title in 2005.

Camarillo first baseman Kristie Dederick, who helped the Scorpions capture their first Southern Section softball title since 1991 with a 5-1 victory over La Mirada in the Div. II final, has signed to play at Providence and will attend the Rhode Island school this fall.

Dederick hit .372 with 31 runs, four home runs and 34 RBIs, in addition to playing outstanding defense, making one error in 152 total chances.

“I had some other offers, but I knew Providence was the right fit for me after I visited it and learned everything it had to offer academically and athletically,” Dederick said.

Saugus and La Canada swept through pool play without dropping a game Friday at the third annual Saugus summer girls’ volleyball tournament, securing the top two seeds for today’s 10-team championship bracket playoffs at Saugus High.

Valencia, Granada Hills and Notre Dame also won their pools to round out the top five playoff seeds.

The championship playoffs begin at 8 a.m. today at Saugus High and should conclude around 1 p.m., followed by the consolation playoffs, which run from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Here’s a look at the championship bracket (best-of-three, first two games to 21, third to 15):

But Cornell developed plenty of admirers at Cortez Park in West Covina with his catch in center field in the North sub-divisional final of the Southern California state tournament.

Stone, who hit his eighth home run in all-star competition in the sixth inning of Encino’s 16-10 victory, had another potential homer robbed in the second by Cornell, who reached over the 210-foot fence in center and pulled the ball back with a spectacular catch.

One parent representing tournament host West Covina American said it was, “the best Little League catch I have ever seen.”

Cornell also singled, walked, scored a run and drove in another in Conejo Valley’s summer-ending setback, but it was his highlight-reel play that served as one of the most memorable moments of the team’s 11-game postseason run.

Jamie Robertson didn’t expect to still be pitching in the fifth inning Thursday night, but his performance in a 16-10 victory against Conejo Valley served as a microcosm for the success of the Encino 12-under baseball all-star team in the North sub-divisional of the Southern California state tournament at Cortez Park in West Covina.

In most situations, Robertson would have been pulled after allowing eight first-inning runs, if he even lasted that long.

But with Encino’s pitching staff limited because of Little League-imposed rules about mandated rest days in between appearances, his ability to rebound from the shaky start proved crucial in the team’s come-from-behind victory, the third time Encino rallied for a win during a six-day span in the tournament.

“I was a little scared (in the first) because our defense wasn’t making plays like they usually do, but I knew they would because we’re a defensive team and we always have been and always will be,” Robertson said. “I just kept throwing strikes and kept my cool to give my teammates a chance (on offense).”

After facing 13 batters and allowing six hits in the first, Robertson faced 13 batters and surrendered only one hit over the next three-plus innings before he reached his Little League-imposed 85-pitch maximum.

Justin Greenwald came on in relief of Robertson, retiring the final five batters he faced after allowing a run-scoring single to Kyle Cornell.

“I always knew we were going to come back and do it,” said Justin Greenwald, who struck out Jake Ryan to end the game. “Even when we were down early, we just set our minds on winning and we never stopped believing.”

Jack Scher reached base all five times for Encino, matching Greenwald with three hits. Robertson homered twice, with Greenwald and Seth Stone both adding home runs for Encino (12-1), which plays Ocean View at 3 p.m. Saturday at Cortez Park in the first game of the best-of-three championship series to determine who advances to the Little League Western Regionals in San Bernardino.

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